The Blue Elephant
by latinisdead
Summary: This story takes place during Series 4 this takes place during the time Chummy wasn't on TV. Chummy decides to read a story to her son that her husband may find too colourful for him to hear. :)
1. Chapter 1

Call The Midwife

Time frame Series 4 during the time Chummy ran the Mother and Babe House. There should be any spoilers because this happens while Chummy was away on TV. Freddie is about 2ish here so that gives us a time frame.

Title: The Blue Elephant!

"It's1943 and this is a story about two young lovers which during the time of war weren't allowed to be seen together…." Chummy pauses and glances at her husband who lies with them as a young Freddie tries to fall to sleep.

"…so, let's find out if this woman gets what she wants shall we?"

Is this a story we should be reading to a child, Camilla?" He asks wearily.

"It's just a story and besides, if it helps to lull him into a good sleep then I am all for it." She picks up her book and finds her mark in the book and begins to read:

_It took meticulous planning and timing creating her great escape; they must handle it with utter care as time is the essence with one wrong move then it's for not. She waits for him by the garden wall, under the white Magnolias, where they always met once a week for the past few months. The hour grows darker and the temperature drops just a few degrees creating a notable difference in just a short time. The shadows were hiding in the trees and growing longer on the ground where she would hide from prying eyes just waiting for him when he arrives. You could hear the hoot of an owl, and how the wild life came out from their slumber. She would wait there all night if she had too; hidden well by the shadows she shivers as the cool breeze picks up sending slight shivers down her spine. She tightens her shawl around her shoulders protecting them as much as it could; the thin cotton dress wasn't enough to keep her warm. _

_That's when she heard his footsteps coming near her. "Lenora?" he whispers in her direction._

_"__This way, Frankie." She calls to him. _

_They connect like they've not seen each other in a hundred years. His lips part hers, with his tongue probing inside her mouth, he could have continued to kiss her forever but his lungs fill with hot burning air and he pulls back to take in deep breaths before he spoke._

_"__You must be here, over that wall exactly at five minutes after five o'clock." _

_"__How do I know you'll be here?" She questions politely._

_"__Trust me; you'll know what to do when you see it. Just be on time." He said in a matter of fact tone. _

_"__I don't like this, sneaking around, and you're leaving to fight a war that is out of our control." She sniffs._

_"__Now, dry your eyes, don't worry, I will be fine, just remember it's for us." He steps closer to her a hand on her hips squeezing it tightly. _

_There wasn't any time left as they heard footsteps within a few feet from where they stood. He hastily pulls away, and with quick movements he's climbing the wall but before he does jump off, a white flower flutters to her feet another sign to just trust him. This would be their final secret meeting before tomorrow._

Chummy pauses her reading and finds her son sleeping nestled between them. She removes her glasses and wipes them clean then slips them back onto her face. "Shall I continue?"

"Only if you desire too, I don't mind." He yawns.

_That was the last thing Lenora would ever expect to see after she scales the wall and sets on a run for freedom. As her heart leapt out of her mouth as she took a double take and steadies herself holding a hand over hear heart trying to regulate the heartbeat back to normal. She could feel the warm wind blowing gently across her hat; with her free hand she holds her straw hat in place while she stood there with a look of bewilderment. She's seen one before, but not of this shade of blue, like teal from the sea. The elephant moves from her place startled at first, with a foot up she stomps once then a warning snort and a flick of her trunk making herself look big to the human. _

_Lenora responds apprehensively to the elephant's movements and shuffles a bit closer to the flat service of the wall, reaching up on her tippy toes she slides her hand as far as it could reach, glancing up she saw there wasn't another way back up over that wall. The large wall scales over a quarter mile long with the hedgerow growing wildly over the top, so climbing over was easier than it looked._

_She isn't the type to panic or become weary of her situation, and if there is a way out of one she'll find it. This is another road not taken and an adventure a waits past the garden wall. But going back wasn't an option and facing this new challenge isn't difficult just a detour to her real destination. The blue elephant could stand there all day long; she knew this from reading old magazines when she was younger during her youth at boarding school. This thought travels down to her feet, the ruby red pumps made her feet ache already. Why didn't she pick another pair was beyond her. They didn't even match her teal green dress. "Never mind that now" she thought, "I have to decide what to do with this elephant?"_

_The elephant eyes rest on the young woman never blinking, she stood there stock still like a statue, ears flickering hearing voices from far away, her trunk raises pointing in the direction warning the woman who seems to be on the run. With a soft grunt, she offers the introduction a good sign of trust. _

_"__Lenora Elizabeth Mauve Anderson, at your service, please to meet your acquaintance and what is your name?" She said in a rather low tone so they couldn't hear her. _

_They both step towards one another, meeting up under the pretty white flowers. "You're a friend of Frankie's aren't you?" _

_A nod and a snort to indicate she is in fact his friend. _

_"__Let me see what you have here." She pulls off a note attached to the elephant's collar._

_Block letters stand out on a thin slip of paper with a simple phrase; she reads it silently so no one could hear her. _

_"__Anna…" she runs a soft hand touching the young elephant on her trunk. "Shall I remove these beastly shoes?" _

She turns her head in the direction where the snoring sound came from. Peter was also asleep after the last bit she's read. With that, she yawns placing the book down on her night table an slips her glasses off to sleep. She'll resume her reading again tomorrow night then turns the light off to fall a sleep as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Nothing seemed to settle the young sir as Camilla tries her final trick to sooth him to sleep. His cheeks were flush red and had a teething rash on his chin from his constant drool. His back molars were the real reason why she felt frustrated and knew that there wasn't much to do but wait until they cut through the gums as quickly as possible. She tried to nurse but he wouldn't latch on long enough to allow it to work. Sucking would just create more discomfort for both of them. And really she wasn't sure if he wanted it as much as he used too.

"You can't fight sleep forever Young Sir." She said in a huffy tone.

Peter heard this as he stood in the doorway of their tiny flat in the attic above the mother home. "Let me, go on rest yourself before your night shift starts."

"Peter, I should be able to console our son." she said through fits of tears.

"Go, on, now, take a hot bath." He removes their son from her arms. She resists for a few seconds to let go then he pulls him free. "Go!" he orders her as he knows her well enough she'll keep going until she's exhausted from overworking herself.

He watches her leave turning the corner to their private bathroom and waits until he hears the door click shut before he resumes the task of soothing their son to take his nap.

"Let's see what we can read shall we?"

He searches the shelves with all children books, and pulls out a few photo books. He places his heavy son down on the ground and notices how fast he pulls himself up and then toddles independently to where his mother sat most nights reading that book. "Eke." Freddie mumbles incoherently to his dad, and then holds it out to see and take from his hands. When his father does, the boy claps and motions to the chair indicating to sit with him there and read _that _book.

Peter laughs what he has gotten himself into. He's not into romance stories, not at all, but if his son needs it to fall asleep too, then why not.

"Let's see where we left off then."

_There were many men sitting elbow to elbow, crammed inside a tiny conference room. Up front was a podium and they were obviously waiting for their speaker to appear as he paced just outside the main doors waiting for them to settle down before he would just enter. A stocky short man with a prominent limp climbs the podium. He got straight to the point, "Hello, I am Seth, Anderson. All of you know me by now as Lenora Elizabeth Mauve Anderson father. We can now confirm she's missing over five hours and counting. Men, we cannot make any mistakes. Nothing is more important than finding this woman alive."_

_"__You will remain in pairs; each of you will keep an eye out for this male." He hands out a hand drawn composite of a fine looking young male. He has dark short hair, and a rather dark complexion, with narrow beady eyes. "You can't miss him, dangerous and armed. You have the right to shoot to kill." _

_"__Lenora is wearing a blue dress, and red shoes, whatever you do, don't shoot at her. Keep her safe and bring her back to me." _

_"__We know she was taken by force, a set up kidnapping by the male in question. He's a ruthless murderer and a thief. He's well known to have killed before. Don't go thinking he'll just give her up easily. Men, we want to see her back safely before her wedding night." _

_He stepped away from the podium, and then opens his mouth again before he left. "This is our only concern, to find Lenora, and return her back to me." _

_They left the place like a swarm of bees with chatter, and mulling about while they all exit the room from the same doorway. Not a single person noticed a stranger hang back as they all filed their way out of the room. He slips out through another exit. It was quieter in this hall then the other halls and he was glad of it. Nathan Green wasn't there to find her, but to break his first reporting case; this was the news story of the century. He flips his notepad open and starts to scribble furiously, fresh as the information was he didn't want to forget a single thing. _

Peter took a welcoming interruption from a kiss on the lips from his wife. She wore just her silk blue dressing gown her hair wrapped in a towel and found a comfy area to sit with her son now cradling in her lap. "Nenes?" he asks around his thumb.

Peter, places a finger in the book before he looks over. "I, see, I'm not good enough." He teases his son, Freddie.

"Continue the journey, gets bally good from there." Chummy adds as she slips a full breast into her son's mouth. Peter always enjoys watching his son nurse. "Sometimes I'm a wee bit envious of him."

"Tut, tut." She teased him, "Later, I promise."

"It's like that, eh." He resumes reading to them. He flips the page:

_Five hours into their journey and Lenora felt the sweat trickle down the back of her dress as they cut quickly enough through the jungle. The air was thick, hot and sticky as the day turns to dusk, the humidity rose as they cut deeper into the bushes. She knew they've taken the right route as they came across the markers planned from their many discussions. From this deduction, she knows they're slanting east and soon they'll find the Oceanside._

_They continue to march under an inky sky, moving at a slower pace. Even when the night grows on the heat intensifies as they come into a clearing. She could hear it now, babbling and bubbling noises from the east. There's a stream nearby, she dismounts from her friend's back as she couldn't see past her own nose in the dark. _

_She scrambles around in the dark building a torch, soon enough she has ample light to guide the rest of the way to the stream. She leads Anna to the water giving her time to take a dip, some rest and a quick bite to eat. Then onward to their meeting place—_

A rapid knock was heard from the outside of their door. "Nurse, come quick, Suzie, she's a cryin' and holdin' her tum."

Peter marks his place, closes the book and quickly removes a rather sleepy-head son. "Go, I'll take care of him."

Chummy went to the door, and props it open a crack, "Tell Suzie I will be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

Peter with his son travels to their bedroom that was connected off the small sitting area and gingerly places Freddie into his cot. He was nearly asleep and that was a good sign, but lately a simple jolt or fast movement could wake the toddler up and that could make an easy journey into sleepy time a hellish time.

Chummy follows through and heads to the closet, picking out her uniform. She slips it on quickly enough and finds her equipment bag, and checks to see if she needs restocking. She always kept an extra set of supplies in her personal stores. She clips it close once refilled finds Peter back in the sitting room.

"Don't wait up for me." And with a quick kiss she leaves her boys to themselves.

He kisses her again, and whispers in her ear, "You owe me, don't hesitate to wake this old grumpy man up."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"And of course, it's our little secret." Patsy pauses for a second then adds. "Also, Sister Julienne is aware of the arrangements, Nonnatus house won't be light handed, so don't worry about that." Patsy chimes in on the other end of the phone conversation.

The sun shone brightly through the still lacy curtains that she brought from home casting warmth in the rather cold and damp room. It was a record breaking hot summers day, even with the window open fully not a breeze was felt.

Chummy is in the office leaning on her elbows at her desk, feeling the strain of motherhood strangling her very slowly as she feels a migraine ebbing through her head. She lowers her voice knowing the door was ajar keeping the conversation private.

"Thank you, old thing." She pauses to jot down all information in her personal planner. The lists were piling up she would need to complete them before her plans set in.

"Chummy, you've done so much for those girls, of course a few days away are allowed and to celebrate your anniversary it is necessary." Patsy exclaims with a very chipper tone heard through the static on the other end.

"And it is all set up with Dr. Turner." She adds as she jingles the keys for Chummy to hear. "The cabin is yours for three whole days."

"I am looking forward to it." This brightens her up a tiny bit.

There was a gentle knock at the door, and she could hear a wailing baby as Stacy stood outside it. "I must find out what Stacy needs."

"Of course, off you pop, see you soon."

She returns the receiver on the base of the phone after she bids her goodbye.

With a groan she pulls herself slowly as she felt the knots cramp up in her shoulders and neck making it hard for her to move with such agility; she does open the door quietly. "Dear child, do come in. Let's see what's troubling you then?"

Gardening, too Chummy is a bally terrible idea, as she discovers this through many failed attempts and to her dismay she realizes it's not her forte.

So, she thought it would be in her best interest to sit out back in the garden on a chaise with her scheduler penciling in the next week's work details while overseeing the two youngest girls weeding in the main garden. Needless to say, they were notoriously bad for disbanding their tasks for gossip than to help with the daily chores. More than once she'd have to cough, to catch their attention to resume their work, sometimes she'd hear a cuss word from one and a giggle from the other, but work would resume regardless of issues. Besides, she couldn't pass up this rather unexpected warm weather which they were having at the moment, one of the longest heatwaves to record.

She puzzles over her schedule once more fine tuning it, making sure that all was in ticket-y boo for when her friend arrives. A glorious three nights alone with Peter for their anniversary was just the ticket to get away; with that very thought, her eyes close for a brief moment. She felt the warmth of the heat on her face, little precious moments are hard to find and with her son down for a nap it was an opportunity not to miss and slowly she felt the pull of her migraine fall away.

The anticipation of the new nurse to arrive the next day spread like wildfire when Stacy blabs the information to a few of them. She only caught a bit of handwritten information in the ledger before Chummy shuts it closed. This causes some mild panic between the newer girls in which one by one they would interrupt Chummy in her office when she clearly had the door closed meant to be left alone.

This time though on the third knock she answers the call in a huffy tone. "Yes?"

"Sista, they're makin' Stacy cry again, and I fink you should come."

It is the last thing she needs to sort out before Patsy arrives. She does join Cathy behind her as they round up the stairs heading towards the second floor. She could hear them easily from out in the hallway, and she knew exactly who the three girls are with causing all this trouble.

"When will she arrive?" a dark haired girl voice carries over the rest of the chatter.

"I dun know anyfin'" she says meekly sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"Who is she?" the tallest of the three stood over her.

"Dun knows nufkin'." Stacy shrugs quietly wishing that they would all leave her alone.

"Not even a name?" Asks another girl who clearly didn't bunk in that room.

They were like a pack of wolves circling around her, the tall one eventually sits next to her, and this pushes Stacy over the edge with a fit of tears.

"Do you think Sister Noakes would just leave us?" another voice said from across the room where she leans against the open window starring out at the evergreens that blocked her view from the second story window.

They never heard Chummy enter the first room on the second floor as she stood there watching this act she held her whistle in her hand because yelling over their catty calls would be a true waste of time. With three short blasts they all froze as the air stood silent and she waits for them to move off the young girl's bed back to their own spaces.

Her face shows little to no emotions as she stood there ready to blast her whistle again if it needs to be done. But they all stayed still waiting for her to speak.

"I say, is this how girls treat one another nowadays?" She had her arms folded over her chest, eyes narrowing to the four girls causing bother.

With a pointed finger she identifies each girl naming them "Karin, tall Sara, Rainy, and Gail, perhaps you'll find yourself busy with chores that's left undone in the main foyer –Go!"

Like mice they all scatter quickly scampering down the stairs until you couldn't hear them anymore, except Tall Sara, she cussed at Chummy as she headed to the washroom and closes the door behind her.

They all stood in various parts of the house watching a redheaded woman walk with a quick step dressed exactly like Chummy but in her full uniform including the hat and grey raincoat. She had her neatly combed hair pinned back in a French twist. She held two cases, one small in her right hand and a larger one in her left. Patsy Mount has finally arrived!

It was tall Sara that opens the main doors to let the nurse in. After her scolding last night her voice was meek as she spoke. "Sister is upstairs with Gail in the examination room. I've been told to take you directly to her office; she'll be with you shortly."

"Very well thank you, dear.."

"Sara." She nods.

"Thank you Sara. I know the way; please carry on with your previous activity before I arrived."

"What is your name?" She asks the new nurse.

"Nurse Mount or call me Patsy. I will answer to either one."


End file.
